


Words & Actions

by Dhdhhdgsgs



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexual Character, Gay Character, Gen, M/M, Nonbinary Character, like me, really fuckin gay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-30
Updated: 2016-01-08
Packaged: 2018-05-10 12:41:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5585761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dhdhhdgsgs/pseuds/Dhdhhdgsgs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone has a beginning, right?  Well, if you ask Alexander, this was his.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> never in my life did I ever think I'd be writing gay fanfic about the guy on the 10$ bill
> 
> w/e, stranger things have happened
> 
> yeah so this is my trashbaby.......based on all my dumb headcanons that are most definitely not true
> 
> Thanks for reading, I love you. <3 <3
> 
> (also yes; alex is actually from nevis and homosexuality is actually illegal, I looked it up)

It started with the poster. Of course, everything really started fitting together after the first meeting. But, without the poster there would be no first meeting. At least not for Alexander.

So, there it was, stapled to a street post, neat script on neon green paper, reading: JOIN SPECTRUM TODAY! With the location, date and time written beneath. There was also a drawing of a rainbow in scribbly marker.

Alexander was about to walk by, when there was a hand on his back and someone leaning over his shoulder. He turned with furrowed brows to face whoever was invading his personal space, and was meet with...well, a person. His brain scrambled to pin a gender to them, but found itself at a loss. This person wore a generous faceful of makeup; glittery eyeliner and maroon lipstick, despite the smattering of facial hair smeared across their jaw.

Their lips pulled into a smile when Alexander’s eyes found their’s. “You are thinking about joining, _non_?”  Oh. Well, it was a masculine voice, at least. And an accent. French.

“I-I don’t know,” Alexander answered, hurriedly, “What is it?”

The person straightened their (his?) posture, shoulders rolling back and chest puffing out. They had a shock of dark hair, tight, messy curls pulled into a bun perched atop the crown of their head, “Well, it is...how do you say? Oh, like a GSA, yes?”

Alexander shook his head, still confused.

“A Gay Straight alliance. You know--” They moved their hands about widely, “to--ah, to meet other queer people, to meet allies?”

“Queer people?” Alexander repeated back.

They laughed awkwardly, “...Yes. Queer people.”

He squeezed his hands into fists at his sides, eyes suddenly wide and heart suddenly pounding, “You can put posters up about that?”

The person scoffed, drew their hand from Alexander’s back and poised it atop their hip, perfectly lined eyebrows raised assumingly, “ _Oui_ ,”

“That’s--that’s--” Alexander shook his head, smile creeping across his face, “That’s awesome! Oh, oh, my god! And no one does anything about it?”

The person dropped their scowl, and it was replaced by a warm smile, “No, no one.”

Alexander laughed, gleeful, “Man,” He scrubbed a hand across his jaw, “Man.”

“I take it you are from a less...accepting place?” The person asked, their voice turned gentle, caring. Worried, almost.

Alexander exhaled deeply, running his palms up and down his torso, wiping sweat on his shirt, “Yeah. Yeah, you could definitely say that.” He let out a quick laugh, “But, that doesn’t matter now, this is New York! Anything is possible, right?” He bumped a fist into the person’s shoulder, lightly. Their smile grew, eyes shining brightly,

“I suppose so. So, I will be seeing you at the meeting, yes?”

“Totally, yeah!” The person turned on their heel, before looking back over their shoulder and adding, “Oh, and, I’m Lafayette.”

“Alexander!” Alexander called after them, but they were already on their way.

He typed the information into his calendar, framed with red exclamation mark and golden sparkle emojis, before pocketing his phone and resuming his stroll back to his dorm. So, yeah, that’s where it began. And, since then, Alexander started to hold himself in a whole new way. Like Lafayette had—proud.

* * *

The first meeting was on a Sunday, at three in the afternoon. Lafayette greeted Alexander at the door, wild curls framing their face, eyeshadow glittering gold and lips shining red. “Ah! You made it, I am so happy. Have a seat, have a seat.” They gestured towards the semicircle of chairs already set out.

The meeting began a few moments later, starting with a loud clap and a bright smile. A boy took his place at the head of the circle. His hair--long, generously curly, almost red almost black--was pulled into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. Freckles sprinkled his round cheeks, green shone from behind thick eyelashes, teeth peered out past plump lips.

Students ambled to their seats, chatter fading as they found their spots. The boy standing situated his hands over his waist, one knee bent and his hip jutted out, eyes scanning over the crowd. Alexander’s fingers tightened around each other when those green eyes found his. The boy offered a quick smile, his eyes crinkled around the corners and dimples sprouted in his cheeks. As soon as Alexander went to smile back, his eyes were gone, on to the next face. The same smile made a reappearance, and Alexander suddenly felt less important.

Finally, the boy gave a curt nod, lips pursed and eyebrows raised. He shifted his weight, and then that damn smile was back. “Hey, y’all,” He began, “It’s great to see so many new faces! Welcome to Spectrum, you guys!” He held a hand to his chest (It was a nice chest, Alexander couldn’t help but notice. He probably played a sport or worked out or something.) “I'm John, he/him. Why don't we go around and everyone introduce themselves?”

Okay, so, obviously Alexander wasn't paying much attention. While he was a devoted multi-tasker, staring at John required every ounce of focus he possessed. And, damn, was he nice to stare at. No one should be that cute, really, it was kind of terrible.

Alexander’s attention flicked to Lafayette as they stood and flipped their hair over their shoulder, “ _Bonjour_ , everyone,” They greeted, “I am Lafayette, I am genderqueer, and any pronouns are good, but right now I am using they/them.” The sat back down, and crossed their legs, smoothing the imaginary wrinkles from their shirt, “Also,” they held out a finger, “Excuse my accent, if you find that you cannot understand me, just ask the cute one.” They jerked a thumb in John’s direction, and he laughed.

Alexander as well as a few others let out a chuckle at that, before the girl next to Lafayette stood up. Sleek black hair fell around her strong shoulders, and her hands were clasped together before her chest, “Hi,” She gave a short smile, “My name is Eliza, and I use she/her. I’m about four months on Estrogen, since last week,” She separated her hands and made a quick fist pump. Laughter bubbled from the students, and she absolutely beamed at them.

After she sat down, the girl next to her stood. Her black curls were gathered into a ponytail, a cloth headband around her forehead. “It’s Angelica,” She said, “She/her, please. This over here's my sister,” She placed a hand over Eliza’s shoulder, “You mess with her, I’ll come for you,” More laughter. John’s was the loudest. Alexander resumed his staring.

By the time it was Alexander’s turn, he had already written out his introduction in his mind. He cleared his throat, ran his damp palms over his thighs and stood. John’s eyes were focused on him, leaning back in his chair with a hand framing his jaw.

“Uh, I’m Alexander. Honest, I’m kinda new with this whole pronoun thing,” He forced a laugh, “But, It’s cool! Mine are he/him”

Eyes were narrowed, eyebrows were cocked, lips were curled. “So cool,” Alexander’s voice wavered, and he sat down. Great, now everybody thought he was an asshole. Probably even John--not that it mattered. He was just a cute guy. Lots of guys were cute. But, none of their smiles were like his.

“Right,” John breathed, “Who’s next? Oh, Kitty! Hey, girl.”

Needless to say, Alexander didn’t pay attention to Kitty. Or anyone else, really. Except John, and his too-green eyes. And his constellations of freckles, and his uneven dimples, and his broad shoulders, and his muscled arms.

The introductions ended, people began to stand and chat amongst themselves, gathered into little groups. Conversations bled together, words a blur of unfamiliar voices. Alexander shoveled his hands into his pockets, and surveyed the room anxiously, foot tapping a random rhythm against the floor. And, because the gods had always been against him, Alexander spotted John coming his way. A mantra of _shitshitshit_  rang inside his mind, but he pushed it aside and forced a smile when John stilled in front of him.

“Hey, Alex right?”

Not once in his life had it been Alex. It was always Alexander, “Yeah,”

“Listen, man. I get it. I’m from South Carolina,” He leant forward with raised eyebrows, “Before I came here, I didn’t think someone could be anything but he or she, you know?”

Yes. Alexander knew.

“So, don’t stress so much,” He playfully swatted at Alexander’s arm, “We've all been there. So, can I ask?”

“Ask what?” Alexander shook hair from his eyes.

John laughed, lips curling into his ever-present smile, “You know, why you're here. You a brother, or just an ally?”

“Oh,” Alexander breathed deeply. His heart was thrumming, “I’m bisexual.”

John gave a small incline of his chin, “Sweet. I'm gay, myself.” another laugh, “but you could probably tell, right?”

Alexander didn’t know how to respond without sounding offensive, so he just shrugged. John gave him a quick slap on the back, and then pointed his thumb over his shoulder, “Hey, I’ma go talk to some other people. Nice meetin’ you, Alex!”

“Yeah, you too, man.”

He went.

Alexander sucked in a sharp breath, and he was in love.

Okay, so maybe it wasn’t love, just yet. But it was definitely something. Something that made his heart flutter and his palms sweat and his eyes sprout hearts.

Lafayette came over, next, with that girl--Eliza--nestled under their arm. She had her arm around her waist. 

“ _Petit_ _lion_!” Lafayette grinned, “This is my dear friend Eliza. Eliza, this is Alexander,”

“Right,” She smiled, extending her hand, “The one who doesn’t get the whole pronouns thing.”

“God--I’m sorry, I sounded like such a douche.” He shook her hand. She laughed, warm and bright, before pressing her lips together in a tight line, “No worries.” She smiled, again, “It’s okay. You’ll get in the hang of things.”

“Right, I hope so. ‘Cause, I really don’t wanna sound like a dick and embarrass myself again.”

“You're a freshman! It’s your job to embarrass yourself!” Lafayette declared, “I am glad you came, Alexander. I look forward to seeing you next meeting. _Au revoir_!” And, with a little wiggle of their fingers, they and Eliza were off.

* * *

The next time Alexander saw John, it was at one of the little hole-in-the-wall coffee shops on campus. John was sitting by himself, laptop balanced on his knees and the cords of his earphones tangled into a knot. He was humming along quietly, fingers pecking at his keyboard while sipping at his coffee. He noticed Alexander, and waved him over.

_Fuck_ , Alexander thought, _h_ _e remembers me_.

John wet his lips and set his cup down, before his eyes flicked up and settled on Alexander. “Hey, dude. What’s up?” He closed the lid of his laptop, took out one earbud, and motioned for Alexander to sit.

He did so, “Ah, kind of a lot. But, I sorta love it. Like, I’ve learned so _much_ , and it’s just the first few weeks of school. There’s so much fucking homework, but it’s great. I don’t even mind. I came here to learn, and I am, even if I have to write a million essays per class. It’s _totally_ worth it, don’t you think?”

John shook his head, adorable grin playing across his lips, “If you say so.”

“Plus the professors are so...so _liberating_! They just...let you say whatever you see fit! I mean, obviously not _what_ ever you see fit. You’re allowed to share your opinions ‘s what I mean. I _love_ that!”

Oh. He was rambling, and John was looking at him funny. Fuck. “Sorry, sometimes I get over excited, shoot off at the mouth, you know.” He fiddled with his fingers, eyes downcast.

“No. No, it’s great. That passion ‘ll get you somewhere in life, Alex.”

Alex. Alex, Alex, _Alex_. He never wanted to be called Alexander, again.

He scratched at the back of his neck, hair caught in his fingers, “Thanks, I hope so.”

“Seriously,” John added, “Go order.” He flicked his wrist and opened the lid of his laptop.

Alexander returned with his coffee flavored disaster--a large pumped full of espresso--a few minutes later. He took his place next to John, once more, set his mug down, and started rummaging through his backpack for his laptop.

It was old, beat up, covered in peeling stickers and scraggly scratch marks. Alexander had to pound on the keyboard a few times to get it to turn on.

John sucked on his teeth, “ _Maaan_ ,” He drawled, “How the fuck are you usin’ that thing?”

Alexander looked up, “Huh? Oh, I’m kinda poor, dude.”

John clicked his tongue, “Sucks,”

“Yeah. But, I dunno, I kinda love her.” Alexander ran a hand down the screen, “She’s been there for me when I had no one else.”

John snorted, mouth now hidden behind his cup. His smile faded when he realized Alexander was serious, “Oh, sorry.”

“‘S okay.” Alexander flicked the screen; it flickered for a moment before going black, again. He fell back against the wall, “ _Shit_.”

“What?” John leant over to peer down at Alexander’s laptop, still cradling his coffee.

_Goddammit_ , He could smell him. He smelled like pine and aftershave and coffee beans.

“I take it back, I hate her.” Alexander slammed his laptop shut, and pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes, “Now I have to go to the library and use the computer there. She’s not working,”

“I’ll go with you,” John pulled his own backpack out, and starting shoveling his things inside. Today his hair was down, curls fell in his eyes. He brushed them away, “You comin’?”

Alexander shook his head softly, “Yeah. Yeah, I’m coming.”

* * *

So, they ended up staying at the library for at least three hours. The sat, drowning in bean bags positioned by the kid’s section. Alexander was borrowing one of the laptops, scrolling up and down the ten pages of his American Lit essay while John went on about his family. (His South Carolina family, not his real family. Because, his real family was here, at Columbia.)

“My dad’s white. Like, the whitest you can get. And racist, on top of that. I don’t know why my Ma ever even liked him. They’re divorced, now, obviously. She lives on the Latin side of town, you know? My dad never used to let me visit her when I was a kid. Said it wasn’t good for me, and all that bull,” He scoffed, “ _Shit_ , he used to get pissed whenever I spoke Spanish with our maid.”

Alexander laughed, lifting his fist to cover his mouth, “That’s so stupid--he didn't want his son to be bilingual? That’s like, a fuckin’ _impressive_  skill.”

John grinned, eyes crinkling and dimples creasing into his cheeks, “That’s what I said! All my siblings are white, too, since my parents got divorced when I was hella young. When my sister started taking Spanish in school, he would ask her to read shit to her from her textbook. Fuckin’ _applauded_ when she finished--she was even good, or anything!  Her pronunciation was awful, I'm tellin' you.”

“Seriously?” Alexander cocked an eyebrow, looking up from the laptop atop his thighs, “That’s so—that’s such…”

“A double standard?”

“Yes!” John exhaled heavily, eyes suddenly sad, “Yeah...he’s homophobic, too. Doesn’t know ‘bout me, obviously. Been makin’ fag jokes since I was ten.”

“Sorry, man. That’s rough.” Alexander wanted to reach out and pat his back, or something. Or kiss him. Or something.

John nodded, before reassuming his smile and asking, “What about your family? Where’re you from?”

Why, _why_ did he have to ask that? Alexander could feel his heart climb into his throat and his stomach tie itself into tight knots, “Unimportant.”

“No it’s not. I just talked about myself for like twenty minutes. I wanna hear about you.”

Alexander gritted his teeth and clenched his hands into fists, “I’m from Nevis.”

John narrowed his eyes, “Where’s ‘at?”

“The Indies,”

“ _Oh_. Like in the Caribbean?”

“That's the one.”

“Man, that's so cool! Is it beautiful?”

Alexander scoffed, anger swelling in the pit of his stomach. His heart dropped back into its place and his chest and began to race widely, “ _Yes_.” He hissed, “If you wanna go to prison.”

“Huh?”

“Up to ten years, John. For being fucking _gay_. When I was fifteen, my neighbors got arrested. They’re still there; sitting in cells.” He shook his head, “I did everything I could to get the fuck outta there, and you ask if it's _beautiful_.”

Oh.

Oh, shit.

He fucked up, _bad_. Now, John thought he was a dick.

His eyebrows were knitted, eyes laced with concern, “I’m sorry, Alex.”

“It’s fine. I overreacted.”

“No.” John stood and kneeled before Alexander, taking his hand and holding it between two broad palms, “I’m sorry, Alex.”

Yeah, okay, _maybe_ was in love.

* * *

(Later that night, when he was going through his stuff, he found a post-it-note with a phone number scribbled across stuck to his laptop. He stared at it for a total of three minutes, before typing it into his phone and naming the contact a set of eyes emoji. And a heart.)

Sent at 11:34pm:

_are you flirting with me?_

Sent at 11:36pm:

**maybe**

**do you want me to be?**

Sent at 11:36pm:

_maybe_


	2. two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all for your kudos and comments! i really didnt think id get this many lmao  
> this chapter took way longer than i thought it would...sorry bout that  
> thanks for reading!!

“Okay, so, I’m kinda freaking out,”  

“Breathe,  _ mon cher. _ ”  Lafayette’s laugh was staticy over the phone, “Just...answer the man’s question.  He would not have asked if he did not want an answer.”

“Yeah,”  John breathed through clenched teeth, ceasing his pacing and running a hand through his hair, “I know.  But what the hell am I supposed to  _ say _ ?”

Another laugh, and a sharp intake of breath, “Well, I don’t know,  _ are _ you?”

John gave a quick shake of his head, even if Lafayette couldn’t see him, “Am I what?”

“ _ Flirting _ with him,” A sigh, “Oh, you are hopeless.”  John  could practically see Lafayette drop their head into their hands, hair a blur of frizzy black curls and purple nails pressed to their forehead.

“I dunno.  Maybe.”  He offered.

“Aha!  Then, say that.”

“But--”

“I must go.  Homework waits for no one,  _ non _ ?  _ Á bientôt _ ,  _ mon amour. _ ”

“Lafayette--”

The line went dead.

Sent at 11:36pm:

_ maybe _

_ do you want me to be? _

Sent at 11:36pm

**maybe**

John dropped his phone onto his pillow, hands held out, fingers splayed and eyebrows raised, laughter bubbling up his throat.  And, with a grin, he called Lafayette, again.

“ _ Whaaat?” _  They sighed, heavily.

“I asked if he wanted me to be flirting with him, and he said maybe?  That’s good, right?” 

Another sigh, “Goodbye, John.”

“What?  No, Laf’, I--”

Well, fuck them.  He didn’t need them, anyways.  He’d had boyfriends before.  Obviously, they didn’t work out...but, he had them.  That had to count for something, right?  So, after cracking his knuckles and rolling over on his back, John resumed his typing.

Sent at 11:38pm

_ aw, cmon _

_ don’t tease _

Maybe that was too much.  His grip on his phone tightened, eyes trained on the little gray bubble signifying Alex’s typing.  It disappeared, for a moment, before popping back up.

Sent at 11:38pm

**sorry, im not used to cute guys flirting with me**

**or w/e it is ur doing**

Cute.   _ Cute _ .  John was, in fact, aware that he was blushing like a schoolgirl, wide grin practically splitting his face in two; but, Alex thought he was  _ cute _ .  

Sent at 11:38pm

_ you think im cute??? _

Sent at 11:39pm

**dont fish for compliments**

Sent at 11:40pm

_ well _

_ i think ur cute too _

* * *

 

His sketchbooks began filling with strokes of dark hair, with rounded eyes dripping in brown, with bowed lips and curved noses.  Alex wasn’t classically handsome, with a square jaw or blue eyes or bulging muscles.  No, he was  _ real _ .  He had bags under his eyes and a broad forehead and his collarbones peaked out over every shirt he wore.  

John found his reality breathtaking, actually.   He longed for each detail, each stitch of imperfection.  Because it was Alex.

Alex, who spoke a mile a minute with fire in his eyes.  Alex who played with his fingers when he got nervous, Alex who wore sweatshirts that were always too big and tennis shoes that were always falling apart.  Alex who called his laptop ‘she’.  Alex who never stood still; who was always drumming his fingers or tapping his feet or shifting his weight.

Alex, who thought he was cute.

The only problem was that John had no idea what to do about it.

“You  _ ask him out _ .”  Hercules laughed, lips pulled into a smirk.

He and John were walking to class, both with cups of coffee in hand and backpacks hanging off their shoulders.

“Okay, but  _ how _ ?”

“Uh, I dunno.”  Hercules mocked, “Invite him over.  Order a pizza.  Suck his dick.”

John slapped his arm, playfully, “Shuddup.  You’re supposed to be helping me!”  
Hercules scoffed, eyes wide, “I _am_!  Seriously, it ain’t that hard, man!  Just text him and ask if he wants to chill sometime.  Simple as that.”

“Yeah?”  John breathed.

Hercules shook his head, “Yeah.  I swear, you make this shit ten times more complicated than it has to be.”

John sighed, cheeks swelling with air, “I just don’t wanna fuck this up, y’know?”

* * *

Sent at 5:09pm:

_ hey _

_ you goin to spectrum 2morrow? _

Sent at 5:09pm:

**yeah**

**why, are you?**

Sent at 5:09pm:

_ totally! i was just wondering _

Sent at 5:10pm:

**hey dude i got an essay, but ill take to you later**

Sent at 5:10pm:

_ well i know how you feel about ur essays _

_ seeya _

John dropped his backpack onto his bed, before following suit with a loud thump.  He reached behind himself to adjust his pillow, before groping around his bedside table for his sketchbook and pencils.  

After flipping to a fresh sheet, he marked down the curve of Alex’s shoulders, the sharpness of his collarbones, and the column of his throat.  

Maybe he was a little obsessed.

Maybe.

* * *

 

The Spectrum meeting went smoothly, everyone fitted into their respective chairs while discussing current events with a certain passion reserved only for minorities.  John had to retie his hair back more than twice, because he kept running his hands through it.  Stray curls hung over his forehead and across his neck, and he wish wore his jeans that had all his bobby pins in it’s pockets.

When it finally rounded into a close, Lafayette stayed behind to apply their lipstick, watching their reflection in their phone’s camera.  Alex lingered in the doorway, hands shoved in his pockets, legs crossed at the knee.

Lafayette popped their lips together, before giving a satisfied smirk and lifting a shoulder to brush their chin.  Then, their lipstick was dropped into their bag and they were fluffing their hair.

“What’s with you, got a hot date or somethin’?”  John asked, pushing a tower of stacked chairs against the wall. 

Alex’s snort and cheeky smile were not lost on him.

Lafayette locked their phone, before sliding it into their bag, as well.  They turning to John with wide eyes, “Is that so hard to believe?”

John straightened himself, sliding his hands into his back pockets and rolling his shoulders back, “No.”  He offered, lips pulled into a frown, “It’s just...been a while.”

Lafayette stood and cocked an eyebrow, A hand positioned on their hip,“I am pretending that you are not being a douche, right now.”

“Your ass looks really good in those jeans,”  Alex noted.

Lafayette turned to face him, head thrown over their shoulder with a splitting grin, “You,  _ mon petit lion _ , are my new  _ favori _ .”

Alex’s smile widened, “What are you saying? _ Je suis le favori de tous _ !”

Then there was a gasp, and a hand dramatically pressed to a chest, fingers splayed, “ _ Francais _ !”

“Nope!”  John held out his hands, palms facing the ceiling and shoulders heaved, “Nope, nope, unless you are gonna translate, _ parle anglais!  S’il vous plait _ !”

“Actually,”  Alex lifted a finger, eyebrows drawn together, “It would actually be  _ s’il  _ te _ plait. _ _ Vous _ is formal.  And your pronunciation is  _ affreux _ . ”

John dropped his head into his hands as Lafayette clapped enthusiastically.

“Well, this has been wonderful.  We are going to discuss,”  They pointed at Alex, “But, I have  _ things _ .”

John raised his head and lifted his eyebrows, “Uh huh.”

“Jealousy!”  Lafayette waved their hand, already propping the door open, “You seriously need to...what do they say?  Alexander--tell him he needs to  _ s'envoyer en l'air _ .  Goodbye!”  

Alex laughed, the apples of his cheeks swelling.  He offered Lafayette a quick wiggle of fingers before turning his eyes to John. 

Black, like shiny marbles.

“They say you need to get laid.”

John sighed and shook his head, despite the creep of a smile along his lips.

“Wanna get coffee?  Or something, I dunno.  I’m pretty bad at this,”  Alex laughed awkwardly, reaching up to scratch an obviously phantom itch on the back of his neck.  Wrinkles drew themselves across his forehead and red painted itself along the tips of his ears.

John crossed his arms over his chest, grin widening, “Are you asking me out?”

“Would you say yes?”  The red reached his cheeks, then the line of his collarbones.

“Hmm...I dunno,”  John sighed, uncrossing his arms to scratch at his chin mockingly, “I mean, my boyfriend can’t know.”

Then, the red left Alex’s face and was replaced with white, eyes wide and lips pressed together tightly, “Oh--I--”

John let out the laugh he had been biting back, “Yes, you dummy.  I don't have a boyfriend,  _ obviously _ .”

Red again.  A quick laugh.  Wiping palms down thighs.  Tucking hair behind ears.  God, he really was too damn adorable for his own good.

* * *

They stopped at the gas station, where they bought one of those ridiculously large slushees to share and a various assortment of candy bars.  The girl at the counter batted her eyelashes, which were clumped together with cheap mascara as she ran their items through the scanner.  Her eyes were a sort of unspectacular blue-gray, and her hair a sort of wheat blonde, gathered into a tight ponytail at the crown of her head.  She smiled with red lips and braces-covered teeth, handing John his change, purposefully brushing her fingers over his palm. He grinned at her, pocketed it, and threw an arm around Alex’s shoulder.

Once the door fell shut behind them, John leaned close to Alex’s face and whispered, “I never know what to do when girls flirt with me.”

Alex snorted, “I’m just confused as to why they would in the first place.”

John scoffed.

“I mean--you’re obviously gay.”

“Obviously,”

“And very cute,”

John gave him a questioning look, eyebrows up and eyes narrowed.  He fought back a grin while opening his car door.

Once inside, he keyed the ignition and turned to face Alex, “Flattery only gets you so far, Hamilton.”

Alex offered a blinding grin, arms stretched over his head to tie back his hair.  Then he took hold of the mega-slushee and nestled the straw between his lips.

* * *

 

John held back kissing him until they got to his apartment.  Pressed to the wall, mouth tinged blue and tasting of artificial blueberry, arms round tight around Alex’s back and gripping at his t-shirt.

Alex’s arms were looped around his waist, their chests flush and lips sealed.  His breath came in little gasps, tightening his grip on John and leaning forward as they stumbled toward the couch.

John landed first, letting out an “oof” and a playful laugh, dragging Alex back down to reconnect their lips.  Alex held himself up on thin arms, fingers curled into the edge of a couch cushion.

John’s arms were fastened around his shoulders, then, as they found a rhythm and melted into it.  Of course, with the exception of knocking teeth and crushing noses and hair in mouths, which lead to snorting laughter.

* * *

 

“This might be a weird post-make out question,”  Alex began from where was positioned against John’s chest, “But are you  _ ever _ gonna tell your family?”

John stilled running his hands through Alex’s hair, before resuming with a sharp breath, “Well, yeah.   _ Eventually _ . But, like, when I can support myself.”

“You think your dad’d stop paying for you to go to school?”  Alex asked.

“I dunno.  Maybe. Probably not.  But,  _ he could. _  And that’s what matters.”  John sighed, pressing his forehead to Alex’s hair, “He has enough of a reputation to know what people say about people whose kids don’t graduate.  I’m just…”  His eyes fluttered shut, “Scared.”

Alex’s hand found his jaw, and he pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.  John smiled and joined their lips, both moving together with hands buried in eachother's hair.

Alex pulled away, lips red and cheeks flushed, “What about your mom?”

“She knows,”

“Really?”  His palm was balanced along the curve of John's neck, thumb brushing his ear subconsciously.

“I told her in high school.  She didn’t really... _ get _ it at first, but she’s cool.  Now.”

“Do you ever visit her?”

“Yeah.  Yeah, whenever I go back to South Carolina I make sure to stop by for a couple ‘a hours,”

Alex hummed and turned back around, head situated along John's shoulder.  His eyes were closed, eyelashes fluttering against tanned cheeks.  John resumed running his fingers through the sea of ink, black strands caught between his fingers.  

“You have siblings, right?”  Alex's eyes opened.

John forced a laugh, “What is this, an inquisition?”

“Just wondering,”

“Two.  A brother and sister.  Henry and Mary.  They don’t know.”  
“Do they feel the same as your dad?”  
“Well, Henry’s in middle school,”  John began, “So, right now his favorite word is faggot. But, I don't think he's _actually_ homophobic, you know?   Mary is _okay_ with it in theory.  But, I think it’d make her seriously uncomfortable.  Like, she talks about how she thinks _gays_ ”  He made air quotations, “should get married and be treated well, but if she knew I was one of them?  Totally weirded out.”

Alex turned to kiss him again, gentle and chaste, pressed cheek to cheek.  He let out a satisfied sigh and flipped onto his stomach as John slid a hand from his hair to his neck.

* * *

“A freshman?”

“Oh, come  _ on _ !”  John lifted his hands in exasperation, “We were freshmen just last year!  It’s not like he’s still in highschool,”

“Barely,”

John and Hercules were positioned on the couch situated in the back of a coffee shop, while Lafayette sat in a large plush chair the opposite of them, legs crossed elegantly.  Piles of textbooks and notes sat atop a nearby table, long forgotten.

“Y’all are too damn judgemental,”  John dropped his head into his hands.

“ _ I _ like Alexander,”  Lafayette offered, “Even if he is young, he is adorable and  _ very _ smart.”

“You’re just sayin’ that because he speaks French,”  Hercules pointed a finger at them accusingly.

Lafayette shrugged in response.

“We aren’t even dating.  We just...kissed a few times and hung out at my apartment.”   


“But you want to be,”  Hercules offered.

“You’re just jealous,”  John taunted, eyebrows raised and smirking.  He lifted his chin and swept hair from his eyes.  

Hercules shook his head at that, large grin spread across his face until dimples creased into his cheeks, rolling his eyes dramatically.  

“Sorry to interrupt,”  Lafayette broke in, “But, I am getting more coffee and then writing my paper.  Like we came here to do.”

* * *

Sent at 10:49am

_ so  _

_ this is weird  _

_ but like _

_ are we dating?? _

Sent at 10:49am

**well, technically no**

**since we only went on 1 date and it was just hanging out**

**but we could?**

**if you want**

Sent at 11:00am

_ yeah _

_ id really like that _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> Mon petit lion-my little lion
> 
> favori-favorite
> 
> Je suis le favori de tous--I am everyone's favorite
> 
> Francais-French
> 
> Parle anglais-Speak english
> 
> S'il vous/te plait-please
> 
> Affreux-Awful


End file.
